Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Last year at the Long Term Plan hearings two submitters asked Council to stop funding pedestrian advocacy group, Living Streets. They saw this group as part of a UN international conspiracy for world domination, views apparently sourced from the US Republican Tea Party and Fox News. For the record, Council does not fund Living Streets which recently organised Sunday afternoon walks which attracted hundreds of people.

It was disappointing to have a recent article in the "Waikato Times" on Council's sustainability initiatives treat the submitter's views as credible and to be asked, as chair of Council's sustainability working group, if I am part of the conspiracy they see. If I were, I doubt that I would admit to it. If I am unwittingly so, I am clearly a dupe of dark forces beyond my ken.

I welcome robust discussion on the environmental and sustainability issues we face and am glad to debate the challenges and options we face. We live in a world with increasing numbers of people consuming more of our finite resources. These are global issues where business as usual or blind optimism seem an inadequate response. We should take a long term view rather than operate on short-term self interest.

Local government needs to be part of changing the way we live so that we all might have a better future.